This time around we want to take you on a one hour boat ride at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary located near Mysore in Karnataka, India.Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is situated on the banks of the Kaveri river and comprises of a group of six islets. The isolated islets and the abundance of aquatic insects during the monsoon make this a favorite nesting abode for migratory birds. The birds begin arriving in December every year, laying eggs and breeding until August when they finally move out of the sanctuary with their little ones, only to return yet again the following year. This makes Ranganathittu one of the best places to see these birds in their breeding plumage.
The only mode of getting close to these birds is by taking a boat ride along the river. Here’s a view of this water world from the boat jetty.
It took me a while to get used to photographing from the confines of the small boat (seats 4) and making the oarsman understand the minimum focusing distance requirements of a telephoto lens (300mm with 2X teleconvertor). Here are some of the birds we photographed in a one hour boat ride.